The Literal Spawn Of Satan
by Emiko.Nakamura
Summary: When the Volturi look for someone, they hunt them down to the ends of the Earth. But what happens when the Volturi aren't the only ones looking for someone? As Bella's new life effects her new family, what lengths will she go to in order to keep them safe? And what happens when...things...start happening to her cousin that makes protection difficult? Want to find out?
1. Chapter 1

_Daniel stalked down the sidewalks, weary of his surroundings as the streets went dark. It was his third week on the job and he still had nothing._

_No leads._

_No trail._

_No Jackson._

_And no food…_

_He held his empty stomach as it growled as if a hellhound itself were inside. The young Satyr sighed and slumped onto a bench, propping his crutches he didn't actually need beside him, and resting his head on his arms in his lap, unsure of what to do next._

_"Something on your mind?" A voice like thick velvet pulled him from his thoughts, startling him into snapping his head up and focus on the beautiful creature next to him. He hadn't heard anyone approach him from any direction, let alone sit down on the short bench next to him._

_"W-Who are you?" Daniel stammered, gazing at the pale, pale face staring back at him, shifting awkwardly trying to hide his unnatural appearance._

_"Oh, please forgive me. My name is Aro." He explained pleasantly, flashing him a smile, extending his hand._

_"Daniel." The Satyr nodded at him, shaking his hand, cringing at how unnaturally cold the man's hands were. Aro's eyes closed briefly he held Daniel's hand a little too long for his liking._

_"We know." Aro said; his eyes still squeezed shut. The Satyr ripped his hand away from Aro's, his eyes wide. The man reopened his eyes and Daniel noticed, for the first time, the man's bright, glowing red eyes._

_"Um, I-I have to go now…" Daniel said in a panic, standing up and taking off as fast as his goat legs would carry him into the ally, leaving his crutches behind._

_"They always run." A deep, husky voice sighed before a building of a man jumped in front of him, blocking his path and forcing him to stop. The man grabbed the Satyr by his jacket and shoved him into the brick wall behind him._

_"You're really doing this to a cripple?" Daniel choked out; struggling against the man who didn't even seem fazed by him._

_"You are not crippled, Satyr." Aro rejoined the party and a new guy knocked Daniel's shoes clear off his legs, revealing his hooves where his feet should've been._

_"Who are you people?" Daniel cried as two more beautiful, pale creatures crept from the shadows. _

_"We're looking for Jackson Mercer. Know the name?" The man holding Daniel spat._

_"I don't know who you're talking about!" Daniel shrieked._

_"Liar!" Aro barked and then a burning so horrible Daniel thought he was he had transported to the depths of Tartarus itself filled his body. The man holding him let him drop to the ground and cringe, pleading for his life, screaming something about Hades having mercy on his soul. The pain numbed a few minutes later and then Daniel was lifted back into the air, this time by Aro himself. "Thank you, Jane." Aro nodded at the blond haired, petite girl with red eyes who smiled wickedly in response._

_"W-What just happened to me?" Daniel asked, his eyes wide._

_"Now, I'm going to ask you one more time, where is the boy?" Aro's blood red eyes bore holes into Daniel's as he waited for him to speak._

_"I don't kn-Okay!" Daniel screamed as Aro's vice-like grip around his neck tightened. "I know who your talking about, I was sent to find him. But I honestly have no idea where he is! Every time I think I pick up his trail, it just disappears a day later!" He explained in a panic._

_"Just as I feared." Aro sighed. "You're useless." He declared, throwing Daniel across the ally, the young Satyr crying out as his back hit the unforgiving brick wall before falling against the concrete. "Felix, Demetri, clean up that mess." Aro instructed the two bigger creatures now standing menacingly over the mangled creature._

_"Such a pity." Alec muttered as the screaming and tearing began. _

_"Now, now, Alec. We mustn't concern ourselves with lesser species." Aro scolded._

_"Then, why, if I may ask, are we searching for this human, Master?" Jane spoke up._

_"Because, the boy in question has the potential to be the most powerful being on this planet. If we ever wish to destroy the Cullen's that spurned our once highly respected name, we're going to need someone like him." Aro explained. The twins fidgeted uneasily at the mention of their least favorite coven._

_"Yes, Master." They both nodded._

_"Now, dear ones, have you ever tasted Satyr blood?" Aro smiled wickedly as the night suddenly became deathly quiet._

~Jackson P.O.V.~

"-But mom, I'm going to get my hair wet!" Her annoying voice screeched me awake over the relaxing sound of the pitter-pattering of rain hitting the car's windows.

"Brittney, you'll survive." Mom snapped. "Wake up your brother." She ordered in her unusually stern voice, making me wonder what had happened while I had that weird dream.

"I'm awake." I mumbled, my eyes still closed.

"We're home." I heard the smile in her voice. We were moving cross-country, from New York City to Forks, Washington for my Dad's job, much to my sadness. It was my last year in high school and I really wanted to finish with my friends.

Needless to say, I was pretty pissed about it.

"Mom, why is there a car in the driveway? Who's here?" Brittney snapped.

"It's Jackson's." She said simply.

"What?" I jerked forward; ripping my eyes open and gazing at the gray Kia Forte sitting beside my Dad's black Lexus hit my vision.

"Why does he get a car?" Brittney growled.

"Because he's had his license for a year now, we think it's time he had a car." She smiled sweetly at me.

"Ugh, whatever." Britt snapped and got out of the car, just as Dad with Aiden, my younger brother, in his arms stepped outside into the rain.

"You trying to bribe me?" I snickered just as she handed me the keys to _**MY**___car.

"Depends, is it working?" She laughed.

"Little bit." I admitted.

"Good." She leaned forward and kissed my cheek. "Now do me a favor: run to the store and pick up some baby food?" She batted her eyes.

"Of course." I smiled.

"Good, the store is-"

"I'll find it." I winked, got out of the car and slid into MY car. I watched my dad mouth: 'I think he likes It.' to my mom with a smile before I backed out of the driveway and was on the road.

In _**MY**_ car.

~Bella P.O.V.~

"She got so big." Tanya laughed as we pulled out of the driveway. The Denali's were up here visiting for Thanksgiving, and decided to stay until Christmas, since it was right around the corner. Tanya was bored, so she was coming with Edward and I to do some early shopping.

"It's unbelievable." Edward smiled and looked back at her through the rearview mirror. We pulled into the parking lot a few minutes of chatting later and walked into the store.

"What should we get for Jasper?" I asked as we browsed through the electronics section.

"Anything that's out of fashion for our little hipster." Edward said, getting a chuckle out of Tanya. Walking through the plants we passed a very lost looking teen. I couldn't help but get the feeling that I knew him from somewhere. That feeling made me worry a little when Edward told me that he couldn't read his mind. I did a double take at the same time as the boy.

"Jackson?" I asked in disbelief.

"B-Bella?" He answered just as shocked.

"I can't believe it's you! It's been what five years, little guy?" I asked him, looking up at him.

"Around there I think." He snickered, rubbing his hand through the back of scruffy dark brown hair. Years ago the cut would've looked terrible on his scrawny frame, but time had done him well. His hair now looked adorable on him and his biceps bulged as he ran his fingers through his hair again.

"Well Jackson, what happened to my dweeby, little cousin?" I asked him, knowing it would strike a nerve.

"I-I don't know." He shrugged. "I guess I just realized that's not who I wanted to be. I stated working out and got rid of the glasses: simple as that Bellybutton. The growth spurt didn't hurt at all either." He said with a laugh.

"Tanya?" Edward whispered. I glanced behind me and saw her staring wide-eyed at Jackson.

"What brings you all the way over to Forks?" I shook my head, trying to regain my wits, wondering what was going on.

"Thought you'd know by now, but we're here for dad's work. Charlie didn't tell you?" He said.

"No he didn't actually. We'll have to have a talk about that when we get home." I told him with a nervous chuckle.

"You ever going to introduce us, love?" Edward asked me.

"Oh. Yeah. Sorry, I haven't seen this kid in forever. Just getting over the shock. Edward and Tanya this is Jackson. My Aunt Karen's son, Charlie's sister." I said. They all said hello to each other. A blush coming across Jackson's face as he said hi to Tanya. My eyes narrowed as I heard Edward whisper:

"Tanya found her mate…" My eyes widened; I was sure Jackson noticed. "So Jackson, where's the new house." Edward asked him, breaking the silence from my shock; I didn't know what to think.

"I'm not too sure on the address, but I can get there. Do you guys want to come over? Mom would love to see Bella and finally get to meet you." He said to Edward. I looked at Edward, letting him answer.

"That sounds like a great idea." He said.

"Okay! I'll text her and let her know. I've got to get baby food for my brother though. Can you help? I'm way lost on this stuff." He said, looking, like he said, very lost.

"Sure, but uh, when did this whole little brother thing happen?" I asked, knowing only about the little brat Brittney.

"A year ago. His name's Aiden, and thank god he's not as bad as Britt." Jackson said laughing.

"That's a huge relief. Let's go get that food." I said giggling on the way to the baby isle. At the checkout, Edward asked Tanya if she wanted to ride home with Jackson.

"Sure. I mean, if it's okay with you." She said looking at Jackson.

"Uh. Um. Yeah! That'd be great." He answered, a blush going across his cheeks, yet again. It was pretty cute how flustered he was as he ran his fingers across through his hair, smiling slightly.

~Jackson P.O.V.~

"So, uh, do you, like, live around here or something?" I asked Tanya we slid into my car.

"Actually, my family and I live in Alaska. We're just visiting for the holidays." She explained, putting her seatbelt on. Oh, hey: that's a good idea…

"Oh, really? Alaska that's, like, cold, right?" I replied, mentally slapping myself as I failed at connecting my seatbelt clip-thing into the hole-thing.

"Um, yeah. Most of the time." She laughed, literally sounding like music to my ears. Oh, thank you Lord that she laughed. I am not as stupid as I think.

Oh, wait. I am. But she doesn't need to know that.

"Here, let me." She chuckled softly, taking my hands in hers and easily gliding the two ends together. Our eyes were locked the whole time, causing my face to turn redder than ever.

"I swear, I usually don't need help with that…" I murmured with a nervous chuckle.

"I believe you." She laughed again, sitting back in the passenger seat. I chuckled again and started the car, backing out of my parking spot and then we were on our way. Edward was driving behind us as we turned onto the only main road in this tiny town.

"Where are you moving here from?" She asked, playing with her hair adorably beside me.

"Um, New York." I replied after having to think for a second.

"New York's the city that never sleeps. Aren't you going to be bored silly here?" She asked.

"Nah, it seems pretty nice so far." I told her, as I glanced at her.

"Jackson, are you hitting on me?" She asked in a seductive tone. My face reddened even more.

"Depends. Is it working?" I asked; keeping my eyes locked on the road with one hand on the wheel, while the fingers of my free hand ran nervously through my hair.

"Oh, stop with the hair thing; you're cute enough already." She giggled.

"Are you hitting on me now?" I glanced at her again.

"Depends, is it working?" She replied, trying to mimic my voice.

"It's staring too." I winked at her just as I turned into my driveway along the suburbs of Forks. "This is my house. I haven't spent too much time here yet." I told her.

That was the first time I had time to get a really good look at the house that would become my home. The first level had a black front door with a little Christmas wreath on it. To the right of that was the living room windows, and to the left was the downstairs bathroom window and the kitchen/dining room windows. Above the front door was my room. I had glass French doors leading out to a balcony supported by beams that ended on the little cement block in front of the front door. To the right of my balcony, was Britt's room and her bathroom. To the left was Aiden's room, and after that was my parent's room and the upstairs bathroom. The whole house was grey with black window shutters. Fitting for the rainy setting of Forks.

"It's beautiful." She grinned.

"Eh, you're here. It's not looking too great right now." I shrugged.

"Stop that, you're going to make me blush." She giggled, turning her head and meeting my eyes.

"I haven't already?" I snickered. Why was this happening? Usually I sucked with girls. Like I was awkward and stupid. I don't know…

This just felt… right…

She shook her head with an amused look on her face.

"Come on, let's go see how the inside makes you look." I winked at her and then got out of the car, followed by Edward and Bella.

"How was your ride?" Bella laughed, winking at Tanya.

"Fine actually. Jackson's a great driver." She replied as we reached the door. I unlocked it and yelled:

"We're here!" As the four of us crossed the threshold. My mom danced into the entryway and threw her arms around me.

"Hi, Sweetie!" She exclaimed, pulling back and taking the grocery bags from my hands and noticing Tanya standing next to me. "Baby, who's your friend?" She asked, a mischievous grin on her face.

"Mom." I grumbled.

"Yes, Honey?" She said innocently.

"That's Tanya." I told her simply.

"Hi, Tanya." She smiled sweetly at her. "Bella!" She said happily, wrapping her arm, not holding bags, around Bella.

"Hi, Aunt Karen." She smiled and wrapped her arms around my mom.

"And you must be Edward!" She said, wrapping her arm around him too.

"Yes, I am." He replied, hugging her back.

"I'm really sorry we couldn't make it to your wedding. This one," She glaring toward me. "Was in the hospital."

"Oh, really? What happened?" Tanya asked, suddenly very concerned. She was even touching my arm sympathetically.

"Kick-boxing accident." I shrugged, my face reddening as I met her eyes.

"He got kicked in the head and had amnesia for two weeks.

"Those were two very long, stressful weeks." My dad added, taking the bags from my mom and wrapping his free arm around her waist.

"Come in, you guys! I have dinner on the stove." My mom grinned.

"Hey, come with me." I whispered to Tanya just as Bella said:

"We actually have to be getting home soon."

"Uh, I can take Tanya home later, I mean, if she wants to stay…" I mumbled.

"I'd like that." Tanya smiled at me.

"Cool." I grinned back.

A few minutes later, Bella and Edward left, leaving Tanya and I alone with my merciless family. Thankfully, we were headed upstairs.

"Um, this is my room." I chuckled awkwardly, opening the door and seeing my very plain, dark gray walls. "I haven't done anything to it yet." I shrugged.

"It's lovely." She replied. "Oh my gosh! You have a balcony?" She exclaimed.

"Y-Yeah." I said, running my fingers through my hair. "Want to go outside?" I asked her. Tanya nodded excitedly. "After you." I chuckled, opening one of the doors and holding it for her. The rain had stopped about an hour ago, leaving the air chilly and damp.

"Such a gentleman." She giggled as she walked passed me.

"Only for the best." I said, immediately leaning against the railing.

"You're going to fall." She scolded.

"You sound just like my mother." I laughed as she grabbed my arm and pulled me back. "Damn, you're freezing…" I murmured as her bare hand held my arm.

"I guess I'm always cold." She shrugged, letting her arm drop. I caught her hand, and then I did the gutsiest thing I have ever done: I used her hand to spin her around slowly, and wrapped my arms around her from behind, holding her close.

"Is that any better?" I purred into her ear.

"Much." She replied; I could hear the smile in her voice. I rested my cheek against her head. What had gotten into me? Why was she so easy to act this way around? I don't even know, but how can I explain this moment: it just felt…right…like she belonged in my arms…forever… I felt her hands run up and down my arms, the contrasts in our temperatures leaving my skin tingly when she touched it; I only hoped she felt the same way.

"What are you two doing?" Britt snapped, interrupting the moment.

"Don't worry about it." I replied; pulling away from the only woman I wanted to worry about to glare at the much younger one behind us.

"Whatever. Mom said dinner's ready." She told me.

"Be there soon. Now be gone, devil child." I said sticking my tongue out at her.

"Whatever Jack." She said before slamming the door to my room shut.

"Sorry about her. I like to call her Britt the Bitch. Ready for dinner?" I asked. Tanya shot me her stunning smile and said:

"Of course."

* * *

**Hey, so thanks for reading! This is the re-done version of The Point Of No Return. I like this story way better, but what did you think? If you'd please shoot me a review and tell me, that'd be great! Thanks!**


	2. Chapter 2

~Bella P.O.V.~

"Oh. My. God." My head snapped up from against Edward's shoulder.

"What?" He asked, meeting my eyes.

"We just left Tanya and Jackson alone!" I said, the realization finally hitting me.

"Is this about the whole mate thing?" Edward asked.

"Yeah. You get all that stuff. Is she right about it?" I asked. I wanted to be sure so neither one got hurt.

"She's right. When you meet your mate you can feel it inside of you. Like, you know it's them; there's something that shifts in you… Yeah, it's really hard to explain, but when she saw Jackson she just knew. It's like how you loved Renesmee the first time you saw her. You just knew that she'd be your little girl, forever. It's that kind of feeling that you get when you first meet your mate, but stronger than that." He said with a smile. "I saw the look on her face and I know that's what I looked like the first time I met you." His smile grew with his last sentence.

"That's the same way Jake explained imprinting." I replied.

"They're kind of the same thing." He chuckled.

"So vampires and werewolves do have something in common." I said, a smile playing on my lips.

"As much as it pains me to admit, yes, yes we do." He said with his usual, yet amazing, crooked smile on his mouth. I just laughed in reply, laying my head back against his shoulder. "And don't worry: Tanya isn't going to force herself on him. She's going to give him a choice whether or not he wants to fall for her. That being said: she's not going to completely shut him out either." He explained, resting his chin on my head.

"Let's be honest here, why wouldn't he fall for her?" I looked up at him.

"You never know." He snickered.

"I just never thought that this life could affect my old one. I mean I knew it would, but I just never thought about it." I told him.

"It's something you never want to think about. I get what you're saying." He said sympathetically. "But hey, Jackson becoming a vampire won't be all bad. You wanted to be one when you were human, remember?" He added, playfully.

"I remember." I giggled, letting my head relax against his shoulder again.

"I'm glad you waited though." He murmured.

"Me too." I smiled, gazing at Renesmee sleeping soundly on the couch next to us, her head in Carman's lap.

"I'm just happy Tanya finally found someone." Kate entered the room, her fingers intertwined with Garrett's. "Even if he's your cousin." She winked at me as her and her mate sat down next to Edward and I.

"What's that supposed to mean?" I asked playfully.

"Nothing. Nothing at all." She answered, batting her eyelashes. Once she was done with her innocence act, we heard the door open. Tanya came into the living room with a smile playing on her lips. We all were looking expectantly at her, waiting for a story: hopefully a good one.

"Can I help you?" She asked sarcastically, looking at her blond sister.

"Yeah, you can actually. How was dinner?" Kate asked, a mischievous grin on her mouth. That made Tanya's smile grow even wider.

"It was great, actually. His parents are really nice and his little brother's absolutely adorable."

"What'd you think about Brittney?" I chuckled.

"He nicknamed her Britt the Bitch and it's the most fitting thing for her. Hopefully she'll like me though." She said with a laugh.

"Why would you want her to like you? She sounds awful!" Kate asked.

"Because I'm one-hundred percent sure, without a doubt, positive that Jack's my mate." She replied, her smile absolutely glowing.

"Oh, Tanya! I'm so happy for you!" Kate squealed, running over to hug her little sister.

"Thanks, Kate." She said. Everyone in the living room was smiling, all happy that Tanya finally had her mate. From what I've been told, finding your mate is the most amazing feeling in the world. If it's anything close to what I feel for Edward, I can start to understand.

"But he was acting really strange on the car ride home." She said, worry coming across her face.

"What was wrong?" I asked, hoping my cousin was okay.

"He got really shaky and was burning up. And not like a fever hot, but like he was literally burning up. I asked if he was okay, but he just played it off, saying he was fine. I wish I could've stayed a little longer and made sure he was alright." Tanya said. Edward looked at Tanya and said:

"I'm sure he'll be alright. It could just be stress from moving. If you want I can go over later and make sure he's okay."

"Thanks Edward, but I'm sure he's okay. I'll probably call later." She said.

"That' a good idea. The offer still stands though." Edward said. Tanya smiled at him and replied,

"Thanks again."

~Jackson P.O.V~

By the time I pulled into the driveway, I was drowning in my own sweat. Without even thinking of turning my car off, I ran inside.

"Jackson?" My mom called after me as I romped up the stairs.

Not even bothering to take off my clothes, I turned the shower on all the way cold and got in, not before emptying the contents of my stomach into the toilet.

I felt like I was on fire, like literally.

I heard the sizzling of the water, felt the steam of it evaporating off my body as my vision started to blur. The last thing I saw before I passed out was the figure of a tall man.

~Bella P.O.V.~

"Has he called yet?" Kate asked, about three hours later. Edward had taken Renesmee home about an hour ago and Tanya, Kate, and I were just lounging around the house while the other's hunted.

"Not yet." Tanya replied: her head buried in a pillow.

"That jackass." Kate grumbled.

"Hey," Tanya sat up to glare at her. "He's probably just sleeping. Human's do that you know." She said with a playful grin.

"Maybe, but still." She murmured as my phone went off in my pocket. I pulled it out and looked at the caller I.D.

"Speak of the devil." I snickered.

"Jackson?" Tanya asked.

"His mom, actually." I laughed. "Hi, Aunt Karen." I answered, holding the flimsy phone to my ear.

"It's me, actually, Bells…" Charlie answered awkwardly.

"Dad?" I replied.

"Yeah, um, you see: I forgot my phone at home and she wanted me to call you." He explained.

"At home? Where are you?" I sat up, starting to get concerned. Kate and Tanya sat up too, just watching me.

"The hospital, Bella." He said carefully.

"Who's hurt?" I asked.

"Jackson passed out earlier." He sighed remorsefully. "He was awake for a while but still has a really high temperature. Like really high. Like the doctors don't know how he's still alive." He explained. I looked at Tanya, who had clearly heard the whole thing. Her face was blank, vacant even. Kate just wound her arm around her sister's shoulders, unsure of what to say.

"Should we come there or-"

"No. Not tonight. He's sleeping now anyway and it's late. Plus visiting hours are almost over; we're getting kicked out any minute now. He'll be okay until tomorrow, Bells." He told me.

"But, dad-"

"Bella, please relax. Jackson has Carlisle watching over him right now. He's in good hands." He added. That calmed me down a little bit.

"Okay. Tell Aunt Karen to keep me posted, okay?" I sighed, feeling defeated.

"I promise, Bella." He said.

"Thank you." I said.

"Bye, Bells." He told me.

"Bye, Dad." I said and hung up. "Tan, you okay?" I asked.

"I knew he wasn't okay! I knew shouldn't have left him!" She exclaimed, getting up and flashing to the window, using vampire speed of course.

"There was nothing you could do. This would've happened with or without you babysitting him." Kate explained in her very blunt, sisterly way.

"I know, I know." She sighed, walking back to the couch and sitting next to me.

"Jackson will be fine, Tanya." I smiled reassuringly at her. "Seriously." I added when she didn't seem convinced. "I mean it. That boy has had some crazy medical history." I said with a chuckle.

"Like?" Kate asked, her eyebrow rising.

"Well, when were kids, Jack had to get twelve stitches in his head because he tried to walk through a door and missed." I told them, igniting a laugh out of Kate and a sad smile from Tanya. "He's going to be fine." I repeated with a smile.

"I believe you." Tanya smile grew.

"Good. Jack's a big boy. He can handle himself." I snickered.

"Only until Tanya gets a hold of him." Kate joked.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Tanya snapped playfully, whirling around to glare at the other blond.

"Nothing, nothing." Kate said with a grin, once again putting on her innocent act.

Yeah, right.

~Jackson P.O.V.~

Burning.

Everywhere.

I jerked up in bed, hearing a weird sizzling sound.

Scared, I looked around the small room that I had the fortune to have too myself. Seeing nothing, I sighed and let my smoldering body relax against the bed; only to snap back up in alarm when I saw the thick layer of sweat on my body boiling, yes, literally boiling, on my skin.

"Jackson Matthew," a voice said out of nowhere, scaring me even further, to the point of me falling off the bed with a loud thud.

"W-Wha?" I mumbled, my eyes flying around the room. I gasped and twitched backward when my now widened eyes fell on a very blurry, dark figure in the corner.

"Relax, my son. Breathe. You're going to be okay." The figure replied, stepping closer to me.

"S-Stay back!" I exclaimed.

"I'm here to help you." He reasoned, stopping in his tracks. I still couldn't see a face.

"Who are you?" I snapped, crying out in pain as felt the inferno I called my body intensified.

"I'm your father, Jack." He told me, his eyes that mirrored my own in every way, locked in with mine.

"What are you t-talking about?" I choked as tears started forming in my eyes.

"We can talk later, I promise. Right now, we need to focus on you." The man said, appearing by my side, putting a hand on my bare, very sweaty shoulder.

"W-What's happening to me?" I asked, as my hands felt like they were exploding. "M-My hands burn!" I screamed, doubling over in pain, huddling myself over my hands, which hurt the worst.

"Let's get you out of here." The man whispered. "Jackson, focus on a place. Anywhere you want to go." He instructed. I listened, thinking about the coldest place I could think of: the North Pole. I felt the man pulled me into a corner and the next thing I felt, cold air blowing on my, feeling like Heaven.

Let me rephrase that: feeling like Heaven for like two seconds before my hands literally burst into flames right before my very eyes.

"Jackson, look at me." The man ordered. I tore my eyes away from my burning hands to look at the man that called himself my father. He was knelt in front of me, his face centimeters from mine.

This was my first time getting a good look at him: He wasn't just any man…there was something about him that was…Godly… His skin was pale and he had brown, wavy, afro-like hair, a goatee, and was dressed in goth-like clothes, clearly not appropriate for the snowy weather surrounding us.

"We need to get you calmed down." He told me. I nodded, just as the tears started streaming down my face. "You need to focus the burning. Channel it into your core." I nodded again; squeezing my eyes shut and took a deep breath, feeling the cold air meet my sweltering body. My heart rate decreased, and my hands went out. "Good job, son. Just relax, keep breathing." He said, as the burning started to reseat into my upper stomach, right around my diaphragm.

I moaned in exhaustion as the pain evolved into a warm, comfortable feeling and my body gave out in the next second, collapsing against the man.

"I am so proud of you, my son." He mumbled kindly into my ear, just as my eyes fluttered shut.

And I was out.

~Bella P.O.V.~

"-So tell me again, what happened?" I asked, very puzzled, into the receiver of my phone. I heard shuffling on the other end.

"Really, Bella? Your poor daddy has told you what happened like four times." I heard Jackson's snide voice joke.

"It's really good to hear your voice." I said sincerely with a smile.

"Oh c'mon, Bells. Don't make me get all teary-eyed." He replied; I could hear the smile in his voice.

"You're obnoxious. You know that?" I said playfully.

"Yeah. I do." He snickered proudly.

"How're you feeling?" I asked.

"Better. I must've slept off whatever was wrong." Jackson explained. "I had a crazy dream though." He laughed.

"Really? What was it abou-?"

"Oh hey, I got to go. The Dr. Cullen just came in." He told me.

"Okay. Tell Carlisle I said hi." I laughed. "I love you." I told him, just as Edward, Tanya, Kate, and Garrett entered the room from outside.

"Yeah, love you too." He said quickly, almost to the point where I wouldn't have understood him if I wasn't a vampire.

"Who were you talking too?" Edward asked, leaning in and kissing my lips quickly, but lovingly as I hung up the phone and slipped it into my pocket.

"Jackson." I smiled sweetly. "He's going home today." I explained, looking at Tanya.

"Good." Her face brightened. "What was wrong with him?"

"I don't know. He had a really high fever and then just slept it off, I guess." I shrugged, just repeating what I was told.

"That's really weird." Edward said, his eyes narrowing.

"One thing about Jackson, he's really weird. In a good way though." I looked up at my husband.

And every word of it was true.

~Jackson P.O.V.~

"Alright, bed." My mom pointed at me as we walked through the door.

"Yeah, I have one of those." I said as I walked into the kitchen, immediately opening the fridge.

"You just got out of the hospital. You should be resting." My dad interjected.

"I feel fine." I shrugged, pulling out leftovers from last night's dinner and popping them into the microwave.

"Well, I guess you're feeling fine enough to start school a week early, then." My mom said, walking into the kitchen about a minute later.

"Um," I fake coughed. "I'm actually starting to feel pretty," Another cough. "Sick. Uh, yeah." Cough. "Bye." I said, grabbing my plate out of the microwave and scrambling up the stairs, forgetting to grab a fork.

Well, crap.

About an hour of contemplating life choices later, I picked up my phone and dialed the number. My heart was pounding, threatening to break my ribcage, as I waited for he-

"Hello?"

"Uh, h-hey, Tanya." I stammered, running my fingers through my hair again.

"Jackson, hi!" She said what sounded like happily.

"What's up?" I asked, sitting up and throwing my legs over the side of my bed, my black basketball shorts falling loosely around my legs.

"Nothing really, just sitting around. What about you?" She replied. Oh crap, I'm on the spot: Now or never, Jackson; now or never.

"Same here. Just thinking about you." I told her, as I popped my dorky, black-rimmed, rectangular glasses on my face. Yeah, smooth.

"Aw, you're sweet." She giggled.

"Only to you." I smiled to myself.

Let's see where this leads, shall we?

~Bella P.O.V.~

"What's going on?" I asked when I saw Kate with a huge grin on her face. Edward, Rose, Emmett, and I had just home back from hunting.

"They've been on the phone for two hours!" Her face lit up as she turned to face me.

"Tanya and Jackson?" I asked, feeling the smile on my face grow.

"No, Bert and Ernie." She rolled her eyes sarcastically. "Yes, Tanya and Jackson!" She squealed excitedly, bouncing up and down.

"I swear: you're more excited about this than I am." Tanya snapped, turning around to face us on the couch with her hand over the speaking part of her phone.

"I'm just happy for you, dear sister." Kate giggled, saying the last part tantalizingly.

"What was that, babe?" Tanya said into her phone, turning back around.

"Aw, she called him babe!" Kate scoffed. Tanya had the biggest smile on her face as she gave her sister the one finger salute, flipping her off as we all heard Jackson mutter something flirtatious into her ear. Kate returned the gesture, winking at her before prancing from the room in search of Garrett.

"We should go check on Renesmee." Edward muttered to me, hinting that we should leave Tanya alone for a while, to flirt with my cousin.

"Go easy on him, Tan. He's still innocent." I chuckled, winking at her and then taking Edward's hand before leading him out of the room.

"Oh, trust me, Bella. No he's not." She called after us. "Oh, nothing, nothing." She continued into her phone.

I cringed.

Ew.

~Jackson P.O.V.~

_"What do you guys think Chiron meant by: 'We're not the only ones looking for the boy?'" Grover asked, mocking someone else as the trio stalked down the darkened sidewalks. _

_"I was too scared to ask." Percy replied, his hand in his pocket ready to unsheathe his weapon, just in case. _

_"Probably just Luke or something." Annabeth shrugged, throwing her hood up, hiding her face. _

_"Whoever this Jackson Mercer guy is, he must be important or something." Grover shrugged, popping his crutches he didn't actually need in one hand and shoving the other one in his pocket. _

_"You heard who his father was: one of the big three. It's kind of important we get to him before Luke and his cronies do." Annabeth explained. "Plus Zeus is angry. This could be bad." _

_"Why is Zeus angry?" Percy asked. _

_"Were any of you listening to Chiron?" She turned to glare at the boys. "Since Hades lied about breaking the agreement, he's wagging war. Your father is trying to mediate." She explained, looking at Percy. _

_"Oh." Was the only reply out of the boys. _

"Jackson? Did you fall asleep on me?" An amused voice giggled, pulling me from yet another weird dream.

"Huh?" I mumbled, opening my eyes slowly and remembering I was on the phone.

"You fell asleep, didn't you?" Tanya repeated; her voice was amused.

"No, no, I was awake the whole time." I lied, my voice groggy and slurred.

"You sound so cute when you're tired." She laughed.

"I'm not cute; I'm manly as hell." I said defensively, grumbling the last part.

"Whatever you say, dear." She giggled. "Go back to sleep. We can talk tomorrow. Or, later." She told me, noticing the time.

"Okay." I mumbled tiredly.

"Goodnight, Jackson."

"Goodnight, Tanya." I murmured, almost inaudibly and hung up a second later.

I like you.

* * *

**Hey, guys! What did you think about the chapter? Please let me know if there's anything you didn't like about it, or even liked about it so I can keep doing it. Review and stuff, if you don't mind. That would be super helpful. Like seriously. Sometimes I feel discouraged and feel like no one likes my story if I don't get reviews... SO help a sista out. :) Thanks for reading! **


	3. Chapter 3

~Jackson P.O.V.~

As the next few weeks came and went, normality resumes in this newly stressful life I was living.

First off, the weird dreams stopped.

Secondly, I was all settled into my new room, making it look almost exactly like it had in New York.

Thirdly, school. Yes, it sucked. Yes, it was seven hours of my day that I really wish I could spend doing something fun. But hey, it was something I was used too and it wasn't long before I knew and was sort of acquainted with most of the students at Forks High.

Even Britt was adjusting nicely to the move. She was back having a new "boyfriend" every other day. I use the term "boyfriend" lightly, seeing as she's like twelve.

Oh, wait. I lied.

She had a birthday last month. She's thirteen.

Me on the other hand, well:

"Happy birthday to you. Happy birthday to you! Happy birthday, dear Jackson! Happy birthday to you!"

"Huh?" I opened my eyes and saw Aiden's face, centimeters from mine. "Whoa." I jumped back, stunned, getting a chuckle from the baby. I pulled him into my lap, looking up and seeing my family circled around my bed, big smiles on my mom and dad's faces while Britt's permanent frown hung on hers.

"Ew. Why doesn't he sleep in shirts?" She spat.

"It's comfy. You should try it some time." I snapped right back.

"Now, now, you two. Let's not fight this early in the morning. Let alone on my baby's eighteenth birthday!" Mom squealed, engulfing me in a huge hug with Aiden in the middle of us.

"Please, mom. Don't drop the baby card thing. You have an actual baby. See?" I said holding Aiden up when she finally pulled back. "He's even cuter than me."

"But still! I remember when you were his age. You had the cutest little but-"

"MOM." I snapped.

"No, please. I want to hear about his cute, little butt." Britt laughed, sitting on the edge of my bed.

"Oh, no you don't." I hissed, giving her an ever so gentle push with my foot, just enough to send her off of my bed and onto the floor with a thud. "My butt is my business." I grumbled.

"And Tanya's?" Britt scoffed, a mischievous grin on her face. Okay, it was no secret I liked Tanya now. Well, amongst my family. She didn't know. Or at least, I hoped she didn't…

"Yeah, we're not having this conversation." I said, simply.

"Would you two just stop bickering for five seconds?" Our dad shook his head at us.

"Um, no." Brittney and I said at the same time.

"Just get ready. I have a fun day planned." My mom beamed at us.

"Oh, no." Britt and I groaned at the same time again.

God help us all.

~Bella P.O.V.~

"He's totally in love with you." Kate beamed at Tanya as she told us about her date with him last night.

"I know. It's adorable." Tanya's face lit up.

"Did he kiss you yet?" Kate pried.

"Kate." Tanya warned, glancing at me.

"Do tell." I snickered with an amused smile plastered on my face.

"Not yet. He goes for it then chickens out. It's actually really cute." Tanya explained, a hint of laughter in her voice. My phone went off in my pocket. I pulled it out.

"He's not cute, he's manly as hell." Kate laughed, mocking Jackson's voice.

"Surprise party time." I grinned from ear to ear as I read the text from Aunt Karen.

I mean, it wasn't everyday your little cousin turned eighteen.

Which was technically the same age as me.

~Jackson P.O.V.~

"That movie was lame." Brittney whined.

"You're lame." I replied, sliding into the driver's side of my car.

"Why did mom and dad want us out of the house?" Brittney asked as I started the car.

"Your guess is as good as mine." I shrugged, giving the car a minute to warm up as snow dusted my windshield.

"Where to next?" She asked.

"The store. Mom just texted me a list." I replied, putting the car in gear and backing out of the parking lot.

"Jackson," Brittney muttered a few minutes into our drive.

"Hm?" I stared out the windshield.

"Do you like it here?" She asked, her voice almost a whisper.

"For the most part, yeah. I miss my friends though. Why?" I glanced at her.

"Because I hate it here." She peeped, her voice just above a whisper.

"Why?" I asked.

"Daddy's never home, mom's always with Aiden, you're always at Bella's… I just… ever since we moved here, it's like no one has time for me." She explained.

"Hey," I said, pulling over so I could look at her. "Just because we're in a new place, doesn't mean we're not a family. Yeah, dad's always working, and yeah, we don't have the nanny we had in New York, and yeah, I, uh-"

"Fell in love for the first time?" She answered for me with a quiet chuckle.

"For the most part." I snickered. "Doesn't mean we're still not here for each other." I told her.

"I'm going to tell you something so don't go running to mom and telling her, okay?" She warned. I nodded. "When mom told us that we had to spend the day together, I was actually really happy. Because…I miss you sometimes…okay?" She explained in a rush. I smiled at her.

"Come here." I said, holding my arms open. She slid over as far as she could and wrapped her arms around my torso. "I love you, goober." I whispered into her hair.

"I love you too, cute butt." She told me.

"Hey. My butt is-"

"Your business. I know." She winked as she pulled back.

"Brat." I said as I put the car back in drive.

"You love me."

"Whatever." I said, pulling back onto the road.

I have to admit though: she was right.

~Bella P.O.V.~

"They should be here any second!" Aunt Karen squealed excitedly as she tied balloons to the railing of the stairs. "There. Everything's perfect." She beamed. I looked around the living room. All the vampires were on one side, protecting each other's mates from the hormonal teenagers Jackson went to school with. Tanya had Aiden in her arms; he'd taken a liking to her.

A second or two later, we heard two car doors slam.

"They're here! Everyone hide!" Aunt Karen called. Everyone was out of sight within the next minute, just as Jackson and Brittney came inside. "Hi, you two." She exclaimed.

"Hey." They said at the same time.

"Did you have fun?" She asked.

"Eh, it was alright." Jackson replied, a hint of laughter in his voice.

"Yeah," Brittney chuckled, sarcastically.

"You two aren't screaming at each other, so I'll take it. Come inside." She ordered.

"I'll be in my room." Jackson said, I heard him start up the stairs.

"No, come here." She said as Brittney sat down on the couch.

"Why?" Jackson asked.

"I want to see you." Aunt Karen told him.

"You can see me from here." He replied.

"Jackson,"

"What?"

"Oh, just come here, already!" I yelled at him.

"Bella?" Jackson questioned, coming into the room.

"SURPRISE." Everyone screamed at once, jumping out of their hiding places.

"HOLY SHIT." Jackson exclaimed, jumping literally ten feet in the air.

"Jackson." Aunt Karen scolded.

"Sorry, you guys really surprised me." He laughed as he wrapped her into his embrace.

"Yeah, me too. Thanks for the heads up, mom." Britt said from where she had fallen onto the floor from getting scared. Edward was helping her up as she spoke.

"I guess that was the point." Aunt Karen snickered, hugging Jackson.

"Happy birthday, Jacky." I said a few minutes later, coiling my arms around his torso.

"Thanks, Belly." He replied, wrapping his arms up my back. "Um, you can let go now…" He mumbled a few seconds later.

I just really hoped this wasn't his last actual birthday.

~Jackson P.O.V.~

"Jackson, seriously. Is that your girlfriend?" Tanner, my sort of new best friend, asked, asked me, looking at Tanya as her, her sisters Kate and Carmen, my mom, and Bella all talked around the kitchen table.

"Um, I don't know." I replied, blushing and hoping he didn't notice.

"Dude. Make a move on her." He snapped, his blond hair flopping in his face.

"Uh,"

"Jack, grow some balls." Tanner mocked.

"Tanner." I warned.

"I'm serious. It's not everyday someone that hot comes into your life." He told me.

"Don't call her hot, okay? And keep your voice down. Seriously." I said protectively.

"Someone's getting defensive. You must really like her." Tanner said, a playful grin plastered on his mouth.

"Stop." I growled.

"Op, sister alert." Tanner said, spinning on his heels and dashing away. I turned around and saw Kate beside me.

"Hey, Kate." I said carefully.

"Hi, Jackson." She replied, a huge smile on her face.

"What's, uh, up?" I asked her, running my fingers through my hair.

"I just wanted to tell you, you had the cutest little butt I've ever seen." She said mockingly, her smile never leaving her face. My eyes widened.

"MOOOOOOM." I screamed and stormed off, leaving Kate laughing in my wake.

"Hi, baby." My mom said innocently.

"Yeah, hi. I'm taking this." I grumbled, snatching my baby album from the ladies and dashing from the kitchen and up the stairs.

"That was rude." Her perfect voice scolded as I flopped on my bed.

"You're rude." I said playfully, sitting up and setting the album next to me.

"How am I rude?" Tanya chuckled, crossing her arms, as she stood perched in my doorway.

"I don't know." I shrugged. "Why wouldn't you be?"

"I came to your party." She told me, walking closer to me; or more like strutting toward me.

"And I appreciate that." I smiled at her, standing up and wrapping my arms around her waist.

"Happy birthday." She whispered, wrapping her arms around my neck and resting her chin on my shoulder.

"So." I said awkwardly, after she pulled away a few minutes later. "What did my mom show you?" I asked regretfully.

"You-"

"Let me guess, had the cutest little butt you've ever seen." I groaned.

"I was going to say, you were an adorable baby." She snickered, sitting down on the edge of my bed. "But that too." She winked.

"Oh, my god. Has everyone seen my butt?" I sighed and slumped down next to her, burring my head in a pillow.

"Since your mom is obsessing over that picture, I'd bet yes." Bella's voice came out of nowhere, just as Tanya started running her hand up and down my back, sending tingles up my spine.

"Did my mother send you up here to babysit us?" I asked; my voice muffled by the pillow.

"No. She sent me up here to coax you and your adorable butt back downstairs. She doesn't know she's up here." Bella laughed.

"I like it up here." I murmured, lifting my head a little and glaring up at Bella through my hair.

"I do too." Tanya giggled.

"C'mon. You still have to open presents." She prompted.

"Okay, whatever." I sighed, reluctantly sitting up, causing to stop Tanya from rubbing my back.

"Be downstairs in five?" She asked, walking out of the room.

"You got it."

"Jackson?" Tanya asked.

"Yeah?" I looked at her. She had the photo album in her lap

"Who is this man?" I peeked over her shoulder. Sure enough, there was a picture of a man, not my father, holding me at the hospital the day I was born.

"Oh, shit…" My eyes widened.

It was the same man from my dream the night I was in the hospital.

"Do you know him?" She asked.

"N-No. I, uh, had a dream about him though." I explained.

"What was the dream about?" She asked.

_Lie. _

"What?" I asked, I swear that voice came from in my head.

"I said, what was your dream about?" She repeated.

"Oh, wel-"

_Jackson, lie._

"Did you hear that?" I asked.

"Hear what?" She asked, her eyes narrowing.

_She can't hear me, Jackson. Only you can. _

"Nothing. Uh, let's just go downstairs." I told her, getting up.

"Hey," Tanya snapped, catching my hand. "Are you okay?" She pulled me back and made me look her in the eye, keeping my fingers locked with hers.

_No. I'm totally hearing things. _I thought, but replied with: "Yeah, I'm good. I'm just, uh, a little tired."

"Okay, well, get to bed early tonight then." She replied skeptically. I could tell she didn't believe me by her tone.

"I'm fine, really." I insisted quietly, picking up her other hand and squeezing them both gently.

"I believe you." She said with a small smile.

"Alright." I grinned at her. "Let's go downstairs. Someone's probably missing us." I added; letting one of her hands go and keeping the other one intertwined in mine.

I loved how perfect our fingers fit together, like puzzle pieces.

We reached the bottom of the stairs unnoticed. Or so I thought.

"What were you two doing up there?" Kate's tantalizing voice came out of literal nowhere.

"None of your business, dear sister." Tanya snapped with an amused grin as my face reddened. Tanya must have felt my body heat up because she squeezed my hand a bit tighter, providing comfort.

"I don't know if I even want to know." Kate replied with a wink. "Now, Jackson," She turned to me. "Your mom's been looking for you. She's in the living room."

"Thanks." I smiled at her and gently slid my hand from Tanya's to go see what she wanted as the sisters started talking. "Hey, mom." I said, rounding the corner of the living room.

"There you are, Jackson!" She screeched. "Time for presents!"

Uh, oh.

"Oh, hey. Socks…" I murmured, opening a present my grandma sent me. I was almost done with the pile, only having one thing left: a small box without a name of it.

"Last one. Make it count!" My mom laughed, handing the box to me. I untied the neatly tied ribbon and opened the silver package. It was a lighter; and not just any lighter: a freaking fancy lighter fit for like, the president or something…

It was all a deep bronze color with gold edges, an engraving carved along the sides in another language. I watched as the letters rearranged and shifted themselves in my head.

Damn dyslexia.

Wait, when they stopped moving, a new sentence was formed, in English; one I could actually read:

_He who holds this blade holds the key to the Underworld… _

There was a note in the bottom of the box. I pulled it out:

_Happy birthday, Jackson. _

_ -Dad_

"Jackson, what is that?" My mom asked, pulling me from my daze.

"Huh?" I replied, looking up at her.

"What is that?" She repeated, worry in her tone.

"A lighter." I told her, looking up at me.

"Let me see the note." She peeped, her voice sounding hoarse. I gave it to her without hesitation. As she read it, her eyes widened; a single tear even rolling down her cheek. "Oh, my God." She whispered.

"Mom?" I asked.

"Excuse me." She said and then her and my dad fled the room. Brittney and I locked eyes.

'What was that?' She mouthed. I just shrugged, not knowing how to respond.

"That was weird." I said a minute later. Shouldn't she have known my dad was getting me a lighter or something? "Who wants more food?" I asked, totally removing the awkward blanket that was thrown upon us.

About an hour later, my parents were still talking in their room. Everyone had started to leave, Bella, Edward, and Tanya being the only ones left; helping Britt and I clean up.

I was currently putting Aiden to bed, struggling to get the squirming boy into his pajamas.

"Want some help?" Tanya asked. "Brittney got worried and sent me to check on you." She added with a chuckle.

"I'd love help, actually." I replied, looking over my shoulder at her with a smile. Let me say, this was so much easier with two people. Within minutes, Aiden was put down and sleeping while Tanya and I watched. "You're really good with kids." I told her a few minutes later.

"I've had lots of practice. He's adorable." Tanya whispered, not looking up from his sleeping face.

"Eh, he's alright. I mean, what do you expect? He's related to me." I laughed, my voice hushed. "I'm kidding. He's perfect." I smiled down at my little brother.

"I can see the resemblance." Tanya giggled. I turned to her, meeting her amused gaze.

"C'mon, don't lie. I wish I was that cute." I said with a smile.

"I thought you were manly as hell." She winked flirtatiously at me.

"I'm both." I retorted quickly.

"You're ridiculous." She laughed.

"Oh, really? I'm ridiculous?" I replied, pretending to be offended.

"Yeah, you are." She snickered.

"I am insulted. I mean, I knew I was obnoxious, but ridiculous?" I gasped. She wrapped her arms around my torso in reply, making me immediately forget what we were talking about. I wrapped my arms up her back, pulling her closer.

"Did you get everything you wanted for your birthday?" She asked, running her hands up and down my sides.

"Almost." I said, my eyes were already on her as she lifted her head out from under my chin to look up at me, confused. I gave her one last smile before leaning down and pressing my lips to hers gently. Her hands stopped massaging my sides and gripped my shirt for leverage as she tilted her head, deepening the kiss.

There's no other word to describe this moment other than perfect. Like, there's literally no other word in the entire dictionary. Our lips molded together perfectly, like they were made for each other.

Like we were made for each other.

This moment caused every relationship I've ever been in seem like nothing. Every kiss, every touch, nothing. Every I love you, a lie. There was truly only one person I could see myself with.

And she was in my arms…

I pulled back a few minutes later, gasping for air, resting my forehead against hers; a relaxed smile on my mouth.

"I don't know how you made me fall in love in three weeks, but you did. I love you, Tanya." I said quietly, still trying to catch my breath.

"I love you too, Jackson. So much." She replied, the tone of her voice alone sending chills down my spine. I leaned in again, loving the feeling of my lips on hers. This time, she pulled back, unwinding her arms from around me. "The others will be wondering what happened to us." She whispered. I sighed, she was right. I smiled at her, planting a kiss against her forehead as I picked up her had, interlocking our fingers, and lead her out of the room.

"We should get going. It's getting late." Edward said, meeting us at the bottom of the stairs.

"You're right." She nodded, turning to me. "Bye, Jackson." She grinned up at me, stepping on her tiptoes and pecking my lips quickly, but lovingly.

"Bye. Love you." I replied, my hand on her waist. After a hug from Bella and a handshake from Edward, they were gone, leaving just my family home for the night.

"Jackson, can we talk for a second?" My mom almost whispered, me almost not hearing her.

"Uh, yeah." I said, looking up from my laptop. "What's up?" I asked, closing the screen and sitting up on my bed.

"It's about your father." She told me, as she sat next to me, wrapping an arm around my shoulders.

"What about him?" My eyes narrowed.

"He's not…who you think he is…" She muttered.

"So he's not a business man? What is he? A spy? Because that would actually be really cool." I snickered.

"No, I mean," She took a deep breath. "He's not who you think he is."

"What do you mean?" I asked.

"Jackson, Peter isn't your father. He adopted you when we got married, but biologically he's not your dad." She explained. My eyes widened.

"W-What?" I stammered, my body going limp.

"He' not your-"

"Don't say it again!" I interrupted, jumping off of the bed and pacing around my room. My mom sighed, tears forming in her eyes.

"Jackson-"

"W-Who's my dad, then?" I snapped, whirling around to face her. "Huh?" I coaxed when she didn't reply. "Or better yet, why am I just finding out about this now, on my freaking 18th birthday?"

"I-I couldn't find myself to tell you before. You and Pete were so close, and didn't want to ruin that." She peeped, her voice barely above a whisper.

"I guess that's a good enough reason." I sighed, my body was trembling; I had to calm down. "Who's my dad? Did he leave us, or something?" I breathed, sitting down on the corner of my bed.

"I don't really know who he is, Jackson. I mean, his name is Hayden, but I didn't really know who he was; not until after he left." She explained.

"What do you mean?" I asked.

"He wasn't normal, by far." She told me, squeezing my hand.

"I don't understand…" I muttered, my hand unmoving in my mom's.

"Neither do I, Jackson. Not 100% anyway. He loved you, though. Never think he didn't." She explained.

"Then why did he leave us, mom?" I asked, finally meeting her eyes.

"He had too, Jackson; for both or our safeties." She said.

"Was he a felon or something?" My eyebrow rose.

"Worse. He's a God."

Wait, what?

* * *

**Hey, Thanks for reading! :D If you want too, tell me what you thought, I'd really appreciate it. Like seriously. Tell me if there's anything you want to see happen, I'd love to hear your ideas! Thanks again! **


	4. Chapter 4

~Bella P.O.V.~

"Tell me what happened, again!" Kate demanded, squealing like an excited schoolgirl, Tanya already telling the story at least twelve times.

"Well," Tanya started as I crept my way over to Edward.

"Hey." He whispered, smiling and planting a kiss on my head.

"Hey." I replied, wrapping my arms around his torso. "Can I ask you a something?" I mumbled against his chest.

"Anything." He muttered back.

"Come with me." I said, picking up his hand and pulling him outside and out in the woods.

"What's going on?" He asked.

"Why did you want us to leave so suddenly?" I asked in reply as soon as we were out of earshot of the other vampires, not answering his question.

"Remember when Jackson's parents stormed off after he opened his last gift?" Edward sighed a few seconds later.

"Yeah." I nodded, unsure where this was going.

"When they came back down while Jackson and Tanya were upstairs, your aunt's head was screaming something. Something that I felt should be talked about with just the immediate family." He told me.

"And that was…" I muttered, tilting my head in confusion.

"Jackson was adop-"

A violent explosion ripped through the eerie silence, lighting up the night sky in a deathly shade of red. The rumbling of the earth knocked both of us off our feet and onto the grassy surface.

"What the hell was that?" I snapped, Edward scrambling to help me up.

"I have no idea…" He mumbled, staring into the direction of the blast.

"C'mon!" I said, grabbing his hand again and literally towing him behind me this time. About three minutes of running later, we saw it. The woods was blazing all around us…

And lying in the center of it was the birthday boy himself.

"Jackson!" I screamed, flashing over to him.

"I-Is it dead?" He whispered weakly, looking exhausted as I tucked him into my embrace, brushing his soot-covered hair out of his eyes.

"Is what dead?" I asked, just as I heard a loud roaring over the cracking surround us.

"Bella, we need to go!" Edward yelled just as a darkened figure slammed into him, hard, sending him flying into the air before crashing down hard.

"Edward!" I shrieked over another grueling roar coming out of the monster standing over my husband. All of the sudden, the weight in my arms was gone. I looked down; Jackson had disappeared.

"What the hell is that thing?" I heard Emmett's voice boom. Ignoring him, I looked around frantically for my cousin, just as I heard a disgusting, heart-breaking sound. I looked around, my eyes only stopping when they rested on the blade sticking out of the monster's chest, it unmoving on it's feet with vacant eyes. Then, the blade retreated and the creature toppled over, dead, with Jackson standing in his wake, the lighter he'd gotten earlier gleaming against the flames.

Jackson stared at the creature, wide-eyed, unmoving… He finally looked around as the fires licked his body, seeming un-phased. He took a deep breath and the blaze around him reseated as he exhaled, the area surrounding us once again peaceful.

Well, as peaceful as the wailing sirens closing in on us.

"We need to go." Edward said again, calmer again, touching my hand. Then everyone moved at once, me dragging Jackson with me as we ran through the woods.

All of us were thinking the exact same thing: what just happened back there?

"Okay, spill it! What the hell was that?" I yelled at Jackson after we stopped a few minutes later.

"How the hell did you all just move so fast?" He screamed right back, looking from face to face at the twelve vampires surrounding him, blushing and ripping his eyes away when his eyes landed on Tanya.

"Answer my question first." I snapped.

"Why should I?" He growled right back; his eyes were fiery as he glared into mine. Something snapped in them a second later, almost like a dam as he broke down in front of us. Sobs ripped through him so hard, they looked painful as Tanya wrapped him in her arms, holding him close.

"Jackson just found out he was adopted by his father." Edward whispered to me when I looked up at him.

"Wait, seriously? How did he do those things?" I asked.

"Maybe we can explain that." A boy said as three unknown figures walked out of the tree line.

"Who are you?" I asked, Edward standing protectively in front of me, Tanya doing the same thing to Jackson's tamed body, squeezing the lighter in his hand.

"My name's Percy Jackson. This is Annabeth," He motioned to the girl to his left. "And Grover." He motioned to the mocha-colored boy with crutches on his right. "That thing that attacked you was called a minotaur." He explained carefully.

"A minotaur? Like the monsters in Greek mythology?" Eleazar asked, curiously.

"Exactly." Percy nodded at him.

"And you know this how?" I asked, seeing Jackson and Tanya getting on their feet, Tanya's protective instincts flaring as she kept him pulled close to her.

"Have any of you ever hear the stories where the Gods would come down from Olympus and…hook up…with mortals?" Percy asked.

"I've heard them." Tanya spoke up when no one else replied.

"Me too." Kate agreed.

"I have too." Carlisle admitted.

"Well," He took a deep breath. "They're not just stories… They're real." He said slowly.

"How big of idiots do you think we are?" Rosalie spat at him.

"It's true. The Gods and Goddesses are all real. Grover's a Satyr." He said, rushed, clearly terrified of the blond vampire.

"C'mon, man. Why'd you tell them that?" The other boy groaned.

"Satyr's are half human and half goat, right?" Carlisle asked.

"Exactly." Percy nodded.

"Prove it." Kate snapped. "Prove it's all real."

"Grover, drop your pants." The girl spoke up for the first time. Grover groaned, but didn't protest as he…dropped his pants…

"What the fuck is that?" Jackson screamed as Grover revealed his goat legs where his human legs should've been.

"I'm part goat. These are my goat legs." Grover said touchily, glaring at Jackson.

"Sorry, it's just…you have hooves…Where are your feet?" Jackson asked, wide-eyed.

"Relax, baby. You're in shock." Tanya whispered to him, running her hand up and down his back and kissing his cheek lightly.

"Aren't we all?" Edward said from beside me.

"So, yeah. It's all real." Percy started. "Olympus, the underworld, Gods, Goddesses, Demigods, everything."

"Demigods?" Emmett asked.

"Half God, half mortal. I'm a Demigod, and so is Annabeth." Percy explained.

"Daughter of Athena." Annabeth said with a proud smile, it fading when it started snowing heavily around us.

"Son of Poseidon." Percy told us.

"Um, yeah I still don't know how this pertains to me." Jackson peeped.

"Here comes the fun part." Grover laughed to the girl as he pulled his jeans back up who chuckled in reply. They were silenced by and icy glare from Percy.

"Well, Jackson," He sighed. "You're a Demigod."

"Yeah, right." Jackson snapped.

"It's true. Your blood is special. You're special." Percy said.

"What part about me is special: the dyslexia? How about the ADHD? Or what about being deaf in my right ear for shits sake?" Jackson screamed.

"Jackson-"

"No, Bella. Don't Jackson me." He cut me off. "You've got the wrong guy." He growled, turning back to Percy.

"How did you do what you did back there then?" Percy replied.

"I don't know: I'm a wizard and my Hogwarts acceptance letter got lost in the mail?" Jackson said.

"I'm serious." Percy snapped.

"Yeah, I am too. I'm a wizard." Jackson snapped right back, not even phased. "Okay," He sighed after a very stern look from Tanya. "I'll humor you. Since I'm guessing that Karen Mercer isn't a Goddess, a Greek one anyway, W-who's my dad?"

"I think you already know." Percy told him. Jackson's eyes narrowed for a minute before widening in complete shock.

"Oh, my God; I am the literal spawn of Satan!" Jackson screamed.

"Exactly."

~Jackson P.O.V.~

Hades.

Hades is my father.

The God of the Underworld is my dad.

The God of the Dead created me.

Okay, ew.

But still, Hades is my father.

"Jackson, say something." Bella sighed.

"Hades is my father!" I snapped.

"Okay, say something other than that. You've seriously said that like fifty times already." She scolded.

"This is dumb. I want to go home." I told her.

"You can't just run away from this." She replied.

"Want to bet?" I asked.

"Yeah, I do actually." She snapped.

"I've gone 18 years without knowing and nothing happened. Who says I can't just ignore it?" I growled.

"The Gods actually." Annabeth told us, just as we heard a loud crack of thunder ring through the skies. "Hear that? Yeah, it's your uncle Zeus and your daddy fighting over your existence."

"My existence?" I asked.

"After World War II, the Oracle predicted that child born of the big three, Zeus, Poseidon, and Hades, was going to either destroy, or save, Olympus. So the brothers made a pact: to not have anymore offspring." She gestured to me.

"But Poseidon broke it." I gestured to Percy.

"And so did Zeus. Her name's Thalia." Percy added.

"So all three of them broke it. Why's Zeus so mad that I'm here?" I asked.

"Hades killed Zeus' daughter, or almost did. Zeus threatened Hades, confronting him about why he shouldn't do the same to his child. Hades is mad and now the Gods are waging war. Poseidon is trying to mediate but it's obviously not working." Annabeth explained.

"Oh, okay. So the Gods are going to war over me. Great. That's a real self-esteem booster." I grumbled sarcastically.

"This is serious." Bella scolded me.

"Yeah, so am I. I feel like a new man." I grunted and slid down the base of a tree.

"We're getting no where with him. We should just get back to camp and help prepare for the war." Annabeth complained, turning back to her group.

"She's right. And it's freezing out here." Percy agreed, just as it started snowing harder around us. Lightning could be seen through the clouds, lighting up the darkness of the woods every five seconds.

"Guys, are we forgetting that I have an obligation to keep all of you safe? That includes Jackson." Grover cut in.

"I can hear you, you know." I snapped, interrupting their "private" conversation. "I don't need your protection. I can handle myself."

"Oh, really? You killed one Minotaur, and you think your hot shit?" Annabeth barked.

"Well yeah, I am hot shit. I don't get cold, as a matter of fact." I shrugged.

"That's it!" Annabeth screamed and threw her backpack on the ground.

"Now you've done it…" Percy muttered, as Annabeth stomped over to me and ripped something gleaming out of her jacket. Noticing it was sharp and pointy, I pulled out my lighter, striking it before the brilliant, bronze sword grew to its full length.

"Annabeth, don't kill him." Grover pleaded as I got to my feet, pretending like I knew how to hold a sword.

"Enough! Both of you!" Tanya snapped, appearing between the fuming girl and I, managing to disarm both of us and knock us away from each other in less than a second.

"How…how did you do that?" Annabeth asked, breathless as Percy and Grover scrambled to get her on her feet, while I stayed on the ground, staring up at the women I loved.

"You two don't need to be fighting, no matter how hot-headed one of us is being right now." She hissed, glaring at me. Our eyes were locked for a minute before I ripped my gaze away, embarrassed.

And then, silence; the awkward kind.

I sat silently against a tree, curled tightly in a ball with my head resting against my knees with half hooded eyes, my sword still open and stuck in the ground next to me.

"Jackson?" I looked up tiredly, seeing Tanya looking down at me. I sighed and uncurled, spreading my legs slightly, her settling in between them, slinging her legs over my left one and resting herself against my chest. I rested my head against her shoulder.

"I'm sorry." I mumbled, unsure of how to face her after what happened.

"For what, sweetheart?" She replied, wrapping her arms around me, rocking me gently.

"Being an ass." I sighed again, still not looking up at her.

"You don't need to apologize. I just really don't appreciate seeing my mate act that way." She whispered, sitting forward and planting a kiss against my hair. I finally looked up.

"Mate?" I asked.

"My kind fall in love differently than humans. With us it's forever, like finding your perfect other half." She explained, looking into my eyes with such love that is made my entire body heat up in one, solid blush.

"Wait, your kind?" I asked, confused.

"Jackson," She sighed. "I'm not human." Her smile faded.

"Hey," I said, cupping her face in my palms. "Neither am I. Not all the way anyway." I told her, with a reassuring smile, trying to mimic my feelings for her into my actions.

"But it's different with me. I'm not human at all." She said, her body shaking. I wrapped my arms around her, holding her close against me to steady her.

"What are you? An alien? Because you're the best looking alien I've ever seen." I snickered, this time I was rocking her.

"No, I'm not an alien." She chuckled, breathlessly. I could tell she was nervous. But then again, if I was admitting I wasn't human or something: I'd be nervous too. Usually, if I found out someone wasn't human, I'd freak out. But after tonight, nothing freaked me out. "I'm a-"

"Holy shit!"

~Bella P.O.V.~

"-I love you too, baby. Good night." I smiled into the receiver of my phone.

"Night, mommy." Renesmee replied groggily, already half asleep. I hung up after that, still smiling. "Esme's tucking her in right now." I told Edward as I slipped my cell phone into my pocket.

"Hopefully she's having a better night than we are." He replied, wrapping his arms around me and resting his head against mine.

"Hey, how would you react if you found out you were a Demi-god?" I replied, defending my cousin.

"Honestly, probably worse than he did." Edward chuckled against my hair.

"Exactly." I giggled.

"I love you, Bella." He whispered.

"I love you too." I smiled against his chest.

"Holy shit!" Emmett screamed again just as something whizzed passed us, knocking us backward.

"What is that?" I yelled, scrambling to my feet.

"It's called a Colchis Bull!" Percy called back.

"What can it d-"

"Tanya!" Kate shrieked as the thing blew the one thing that could kill us at Tanya and Jackson: fire. My eyes widened, fearing the worst. My jaw dropped when I saw Jackson, completely unharmed, holding Tanya protectively behind him, one hand held his sword while the other held Tanya's waist. The bull roared in frustration before charging at them. Jackson spun around, lifting Tanya in front of him as he whirled around the tree.

"Seen it before?" Jackson asked, appearing behind me, still carrying Tanya, as the bull stabbed its metal horn through the trunk of the thick trunk, temporarily stuck.

"Where the hell did you come from?" Annabeth screamed at him.

"I'll explain later. In the meantime, let's kill this thing." Jackson replied, locking her eyes as he set Tanya on her feet next to Kate, whom were both just staring at him wide-eyed. Annabeth nodded with a small smile. "Lead the way, Annabeth." He smiled sweetly at her, pecking Tanya's cheek before the four charged the bull, them leading it further into the woods, away from us when it freed itself from the woody prison. The twelve of us just stared after them, unsure of what we just saw.

"H-How did he…" Tanya's voice trailed off. "H-He just pulled me behind the tree and the next thing I knew we were over here…" She breathed, her hand touching her cheek that Jackson kissed.

"H-He didn't get burned…" I murmured.

"He saved my life…" Tanya whispered. "H-He-"

"Is truly remarkable." A paralyzing, familiar voice sang out over the hushed noises of the fight somewhere near us.

"Aro." Edward muttered, his face falling.

"Hello, Edward." He smiled sweetly at my husband. I picked up Edward's hand and squeezed it tightly. "Ah, Bella. I didn't know you had such an…interesting family." He looked at me. My eyes widened: No. No. No. No. No. NO.

Aro…took an interest to my family…

I've doomed them all by choosing this life.

"And Tanya, my dear," He turned to the blond vampire standing protectively in front of her sister. "You have an excellent taste in mates." He laughed manically. Alec, Jane, Felix, and Demetri now flanking him, the flashing in the sky lighting up their faces.

"What do you five want?" I barked, putting up my shield.

"We heard Ms. Denali found her mate, so we wanted to personally congratulate her." Aro lied pleasantly.

"Thank you." Tanya spat, mockingly.

"Leave my cousin alone." I growled. "And the rest of my family while you're at it."

"We will see about that." Aro replied, stepping back cautiously. "Come, dear ones." He snapped, his composer faltering a bit as the five took off into the darkness.

"We have to get back to the house. Esme and Renesmee are there alone." Carlisle said quickly, anxious.

"What about Jackson and the others?" I asked, just a bright flash of lightning light up the area around us, all of us covering our eyes. A high-pitched scream followed, snapping all of our heads back up.

"Jasper, Alice, Rose, Emmett, head back to the house." Carlisle ordered.

"Carmen, Eleazar, go with them." Tanya added, looking at them. The six nodded and disappeared into the trees, leaving the five of us to go investigate the scream. We found them in about thirty seconds, stopping dead in our tracks when we saw them.

Only three were standing…and one of them wasn't Jackson.

"What the hell happened?" I hissed, as Tanya rushed to his body, cradling it against her. He was lifeless, eyes open, and not breathing.

"W-We killed the bull but then…" Percy's voice faded, but I understood. Surrounding Jackson's body was scorched earth, the snow and grass burned away. Jackson's hair stuck straight up on his head:

That bright light was lightning; and it hit my cousin.

"Carlisle?" Edward asked as inspected Jackson. Kate and Garrett managed to pry Tanya's tearless, sobbing body away from him and were holding her back, whispering to her. Carlisle looked up with a remorseful stare. I knew exactly what that meant:

Jackson Matthew Mercer, my little cousin, was dead…

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**Hey my beautiful readers you! Thanks for reading! Please tell me what you thought in a review. I don't feel like enough people care about this story... So yeah... Thanks again for reading!**


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